| Mary Frances McDonald | |
| Other Names: | Mamo McDonald |
| Birth Name: | Mary Frances Bowen |
| Birth Place: | Tuam, County Galway, Ireland |
| Nationality: | Irish |
| Occupation: | Feminist, President of the Irish Countrywomen's Association |
| Children: | 11 |
| Awards: | People of the Year (1999) |
Mary Frances McDonald (aka Mamo McDonald, 1929 – 17 June 2021[1]) was an Irish feminist.
Born Mary Frances Bowen in Tuam, County Galway, she joined the Irish Countrywomen's Association while living in Croom, County Limerick [2] c.1947. She married Eugene McDonald in 1950, and was therefore required by law to leave her job at a bank. He died in 1979.[3]
For over sixty-four years McDonald was a member of the ICA Clones Guild, which she helped to found. She became ICA National President in 1982 and played a major role in its acceptance as part of the women's movement in late-20th century Ireland. In 1999 she received a People of the Year award in recognition of her services for Irish women and older people.[4] She was an Honorary President of the Association.
McDonald had eleven children. She described in an interview that "I didn’t start out as a feminist. It was life that made a feminist of me."[5] In 2012, she stated her belief that the most life-changing invention for women is the washing machine.[6]